Athlete and practitioner prevalence, practices, and perceptions of passive heating in sport

This study aimed to establish the current prevalence, practices and perceptions of passive heating from athletes and sport science practitioners within sport using an online survey. Of the 343 respondents, 62% of athletes and 69% of practitioners reported using passive heating within their sport, with a greater prevalence amongst combat sport athletes or athletes competing at a higher standard (p <  0.05). The most commonly reported purpose of engaging in passive heating for athletes was recovery (66%), and for practitioners was heat acclimation (64%). Most athletes previously engaging in passive heating perceived it to be beneficial for its intended purpose (86%), providing anecdotal eviden ce to support its use where there currently is no scientific evidence. Moreover, transient negative consequences, such as dizziness or fatigue, were experienced by 55% of athletes highlighting the potential detrimental effects passive heating could have on training or performance that should be cons idered by athletes and practitioners. Therefore, this survey establishes key differences between scientific understanding and sporting practices whilst identifying areas of future development for the use of passive heating within sport.
Source: Sport Sciences for Health - Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research